U.S., ASEAN Nations Establish Framework for Enhanced Partnership

In initial venture, U.S. and Brunei will help rebuild village in Indonesia

By Susan Krause
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice joined the foreign ministers of the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) July 27 in signing a framework document establishing a plan of action to implement the "ASEAN-U.S. Enhanced Partnership."

Rice was in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to attend the 13th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting, a multinational ministerial conference on political and security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.  (See related article.)

The ASEAN-U.S. Enhanced Partnership is intended to encourage cooperation between the United States and ASEAN to "meet the challenges and reap the benefits of an increasingly globalized world," according to a fact sheet from the Department of State.  President Bush and ASEAN leaders first proposed the multi-sector initiative in November 2005 at the Leaders' Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Busan, South Korea.  (See related article.)

ASEAN's member countries are Brunei Darussalam, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

The partnership agreement was signed at a U.S.-ASEAN post-ministerial conference (PMC+1) on the sidelines of the ARF meeting, co-chaired by Rice and Thai Foreign Minister Kantathi Suphamongkhon.

In a statement to the press July 27, Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, ARF chairman, said the PMC+1 participants called for early implementation of the framework document, which establishes a five-year master plan for cooperation in several areas, including security, economic development and education.

The partnership gives particular emphasis to the conclusion of a trade and investment framework agreement (TIFA) between ASEAN and the United States.  Such an agreement is expected to promote integration among ASEAN members, building trade capacity and enhancing ASEAN-U.S. economic relations.

Under the partnership, cooperation will increase in arts and culture and in science and technology, according to the State Department's fact sheet.

The initiative will also include a research scholarship program.  The program, expected to begin in 2007, will award up to nine grants per year, giving scholars and professionals an opportunity to work in the United States on topics connected to ASEAN-U.S. relations.

REBUILDING TSUNAMI-DESTROYED VILLAGE IN ACEH

In an initial partnership venture, the governments of the United States and Brunei Darussalam will work together to rebuild houses, a school, a clinic and related infrastructure in the village of Desa Mon Mata, on the west coast of Indonesia's Aceh Province.

The village was destroyed by the December 2004 earthquake and tsunami that ravaged the Indian Ocean region.

Residents of Mon Mata opted to relocate on higher ground near the original site of the village. A scoping mission led by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Embassy of Brunei in Indonesia has identified a potential site for the project.  Officials from USAID and Brunei are working together to develop implementation plans.

The rebuilding project will be community-driven, with representatives from the United States and Brunei working closely with village leaders to develop maps and spatial plans, according to the State Department fact sheet.  The United States expects to contribute $1 million of the total $3 million cost of the project.

See also "Tsunami Recovery Work Brings Together Donor Groups, Governments."

The full text of the State Department fact sheet on the ASEAN-U.S. Enhanced Partnership can be found at the State Department Web site.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)